Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, January 9, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
wanderlust
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Substituting Modal VerbsModal auxiliary verbs can be quite similar in how they are used, and it is sometimes unclear when it is appropriate to use one instead of another. For instance, "will," "can," "could," and "would" can all be used to make a request of someone, with differing degrees of what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Dürer's RhinocerosBased on secondhand descriptions, German printmaker Albrecht Dürer—who never actually saw a rhinoceros himself—made a woodcut of the exotic beast gifted to the king of Portugal in 1515. The image became wildly popular in Europe despite its inaccuracies, which include a horn on the animal's back and rivets in its armor. The rhino that inspired the woodcut perished in a shipwreck while being sent to the pope, but not before the king arranged for it to battle an elephant. Which animal won? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Martyrs' Day: Riots over Sovereignty of Panama Canal Zone (1964)Martyrs' Day is a Panamanian holiday commemorating the 1964 riots that began after a Panamanian flag was torn in a conflict between Panamanian and Canal Zone students over the right of the Panamanian flag to be flown alongside the US flag. US Army units became involved in suppressing the violence, and 4 soldiers and more than 20 Panamanians were killed. The incident contributed to the US decision to transfer control of the Canal Zone to Panama. When was full control of the canal given to Panama? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Richard Halliburton (1900)Halliburton was an American adventurer and pioneer of adventure journalism. He liked to recreate historical and legendary feats in his travels, such as Hannibal's passage over the Alps on an elephant and Odysseus's journey around the Mediterranean, and made his living writing and lecturing about his experiences. He is, however, perhaps best known for having swum the length of the Panama Canal. He disappeared while attempting to sail a Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon, from Hong Kong to where? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 If you don't get what you want, it's a sign either that you did not seriously want it, or that you tried to bargain over the price.Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
house cooling party— A party thrown to commemorate when someone leaves an apartment, flat, or house. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Agonalia (2024)In Roman mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings and of doorways. The worship of Janus is believed to have been started by Romulus, one of the legendary founders of Rome. Usually depicted with two faces, one looking forward to the future and the other looking back to the past, his image appeared on an early Roman coin with a ship's prow on the reverse side. During the festival in honor of Janus known as the Agonalia, the rex sacrorum, or officiating priest, sacrificed a ram. Offerings of barley, incense, wine, and cakes called Januae were also common. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: pronebellicose, belligerent - Bellicose orients "prone to fighting" toward an individual, while belligerent refers to an organized body, a national or political entity—a person is bellicose, a nation is belligerent. More... grovel, groveling - Grovel is a back-formation from groveling—which first meant "face downward in a prone or prostrate position." More... prone, prostrate, supine - Prone is lying on your face—facing downwards—which is also true for prostrate, but only in expressing adoration or begging for protection; supine is lying on your back. More... kratogen - The dormant area of land lying next to one that is prone to earthquakes. More... | |